Housing authority sues property owner over more abandoned homes

The Jefferson City Housing Authority filed a lawsuit Monday in an effort to claim seven more properties as part of the East Capitol Avenue Renewal Plan, an effort to revitalize the neighborhood that sits in the shadow of the state Capitol.

Barbara Buescher, who owns 29 total parcels in the area, owns all seven of the properties, according to the housing authority.

This brings the total number of Buescher properties the housing authority is working to claim through eminent domain to nine.

The city has a list of homes it has registered as abandoned. As of Aug. 6, Buescher owned 25 percent of the abandoned homes in Jefferson City.

The city first sued Buescher over two Jackson Street properties. A public hearing for that case will be held in Cole County court before Judge Daniel Green at 9 a.m. Sept. 5.